Gabriel: Germany ready to invest in Donbas restoration

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has stated Berlin is ready to invest in the restoration of the east of Ukraine.

"Germany is ready to invest in the restoration of Donbas," Gabriel said at a breakfast with the representatives of business circles of Russia and Germany.

He also supported the idea of deploying the UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas.

"The idea of the UN peacekeeping mission has been on the agenda for six months. We need to try to speed it up. But we cannot solve this issue independently, it needs to be discussed within the framework of the UN Security Council," the minister added.

According to Gabriel, "this is one of the few realistic opportunities to achieve results quickly enough."

At the same time, the German foreign minister called for the phased lifting of sanctions from Russia in case of heavy weapons withdrawal in Donbas.

"If we manage to withdraw heavy weapons from the east of Ukraine, then it will be necessary to lift the sanctions step by step," Gabriel said.